The Simmons farce, which has lasted since the summer, is likely to come to an end, with the team expected to open offers to hear across the board before the All-Star.
According to ESPN's Woj, Simmons' agent, Rich Paul, met with Philadelphia executives about Simmons' deal. Philadelphia's management did not ask for a drop in the price, they wanted to exchange Simmons for the league's top 25 stars, and even willing to send Harris away.
From the current deal negotiations, players of this level have no possibility of coming to Philadelphia for the time being. The only suitable object was Wei Shao, but Philadelphia was not interested in Wei Shao at all.
Westbrook's combination with LeBron James and Anthony Davis on the Lakers has not been smooth, and there is media speculation that the Lakers may consider trading the experienced guard. Philadelphia, though, wouldn't want it. Because their top brass had already traded him once when they were general manager of the Houston Rockets, they clearly had no interest in doing so anymore.
While Simmons are better than Westbrook on the defensive end, their approach on the offensive end is basically the same, so Philadelphia won't be interested anymore. Both players excelled in possession of the ball, and as no-ball players, neither of them played particularly effectively because neither of them was a terrible shooter, and to put it bluntly neither of them had a basket.
As for sources in the Simmons camp, the two teams he himself prefers to join are the Golden State Warriors in the West and the Dallas Mavericks. But he realized the Warriors were unlikely, and knowing that Philadelphia was asking for a high price, he feared that Philadelphia would not be able to send him away.
Simmons, 25, is an excellent defender and master organizer. Despite his shortcomings as a point guard who doesn't have the ability to shoot, he has a lot of influence on the court, and his performance has been an important factor in Philadelphia's success over the years.
At the Golden State Warriors, alongside Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson, Simmons would be a perfect candidate. With enough shots on the team to make up for his shortcomings, he's free to do other things and play the way he plays. Sadly, Golden State is unlikely to give up any of their cores (including James Wiseman) in a trade, which makes Simmons unlikely to get there.
Lone Ranger seems to be a more realistic option. The premise is that if the Lone Ranger is willing to give up Porzingis and a large number of other players, then the introduction of Simmons, whose special skills will help enhance Luka Doncic's game.
Aside from his two preferred teams, he's most likely to land with the Atlanta Hawks.
Simmons hasn't played a single game for any team this season, citing mental health issues as the reason he can't play. In fact, he didn't want to play for Philadelphia, and once he was traded, he needed weeks of intense training before he could play.
Now, another struggling Eastern team has expressed their interest in the Australian organising core and is recently taking action on behalf of the 25-year-old.
Last week, a senior at the Atlanta Hawks traded Simmons for the team and his future pairing with Trae Young. Simmons' defensive acumen and organizational abilities can help the Hawks, and they seem to be okay with that option. According to The Athletic's Shams Charania, simmons could land in Atlanta if the team decides to move John Collins and Cam Redish.
The Hawks are an emerging potential landing spot for Simmons, and having a defensive player-level game of the year will certainly give the Hawks a boost to a weakly defended team. As he browsed the Hawks' roster, it became clear that John Collins, who signed a five-year, $125 million restricted free agent contract last offseason, and Cam Redish was one of the players who could acquiesce to Simmons' package trade. It's unclear whether the Hawks are ready to make such a proposal before heading into the playoffs this season.
It's also unclear whether Philadelphia will accept the deal. Collins is a steady big man who improves his level every season, but his tenure at State Farm Arena has been full of ups and downs. Maybe ventilation was what he needed to keep improving his level. Pairing Collins with Embiid would be interesting, but whether that's enough to convince Philadelphia management remains to be seen. Similarly, Reddish is a player who is not afraid of confrontation and can add depth to Philadelphia, which could be an attractive option for them.
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